Weather

The sun is now officially setting after 5 o'clock in the evening....a sign that spring is somewhere around the corner. Another sign that spring is nearing? Mariners baseball! Be sure to join Michelle Esteban and me Sunday at Mariners Fanfest: a baseball themed carnival right at Safeco Field. You can run the bases, get an autograph from some of the players, meet the Moose, and even ride a zipline over the field (how cool is THAT?)! The event runs from 11 to 4 pm.

We saw plenty of rain Saturday morning thanks to the passing of a trough of low pressure, but the precipitation turned much more showery by late in the day. Highs warmed into the middle and upper 40s, which is just about where we should be this time of year. Early morning lows on Sunday will drop into the middle and upper 30s.

Another disturbance will approach from the Gulf of Alaska Sunday, increasing the cloud deck again by afternoon, and bringing steady rain back in by early evening.

New day, same January pattern: a glorious ridge of high pressure is planted over the Eastern Pacific, bringing quiet, peaceful weather to the Pacific Northwest. Any other time of year this would probably be a very welcome visitor, but in the winter? Not so much. That monster high pushes down on us--keeping us rain-free, yes--but also trapping plenty of fog and low cloud cover in the interior of the Sound. As a result, overnight lows keep dropping into the 20s, whereas afternoon highs are struggling to get a few degrees above freezing. Not exactly the pleasant scenario we envision when high pressure comes to town!

Air quality continues to deteriorate, as wood smoke and vehicle emissions are trapped near the ground. An AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY is in place for much of Western and all of Eastern Washington until noon on Tuesday. And as tempting as a crackling fire sounds, it's a big no-no for Thurston, Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties, as a Stage 1 Burn Ban is still in effect. This means that you can't burn anything in your fireplace unless it's your only form of adequate heat. {Certified wood-stoves are acceptable, however} Lows will again drop into the middle 20s to about 30 degrees in Puget Sound, and more fog and freezing fog will keep visibility low and the chance for black ice high. Be careful navigating around out there Sunday morning!

************************************************************************************************************SEAHAWKS PLAYOFF FORECAST: Partly sunny skies with a few scattered showers moving over the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Temperatures will be in the middle 60s around kick-off, warming into the low 70s by the 4th quarter.************************************************************************************************************

It’s going to be another frosty morning across western Washington. Tacoma and other parts of Pierce County are waking up in the teens. We also have some patchy areas of fog.

The rest of the day will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 30s.

The workweek will bring mostly cloudy skies on Monday. Get ready for some icy roads for the morning commute. There is a slight chance a little moisture could sneak in here during the morning hours giving us very light flurries in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone. Highs will climb a few degrees to the low 40s.

There will be increasing clouds and showers today. We have a just a few sprinkles outside this morning, but the afternoon will bring showers and then plain old rain by the overnight hours. Highs today will hit the low to mid-40s.

We do have a WINTER STORM WATCH up for the Cascades tonight and Monday. Plan on winter driving conditions with snow and some freezing rain across the passes.

For the rest of us, Monday will be gray and showery. Plan on breezy conditions as well as the next front approaches the coast.

Tuesday plan on rain and wind with highs in the mid-40s in most areas.

Behind that front comes some cooler air that will take over for the rest of the week. Highs will drop back to the upper 30s with overnight lows below freezing in many spots. Because of the snow level will be around 1000 feet for several days; the second half of the workweek could bring a few snowflakes mixed in with your showers especially on those higher hilltops.

A foggy start to your Sunday in parts of western Washington. We also have some icy spots with temps below freezing in some areas.

High pressure is building in as we speak. This morning the fog will give way to partly to mostly sunny skies by the afternoon. Highs will stay below normal, only making it to the upper 30s to low 40s.

2012 is going to go out on a calm note. A system approaching the coast will bring increasing clouds on Monday, but we don't expect much in the way of showers. Highs will be a few degrees cooler. If you are going out to ring in the New Year, bundle up as some spots will hit the upper 20s into 2013.

Tuesday we are back to the pattern of fog in the morning and afternoon sunshine. The first 3 days of 2013 are looking nice with partly to mostly sunny skies. Highs will stay in the upper 30s to low 40s.

Our next best chance of a few showers doesn't show up until late Thursday.